OK, so I’m really behind on my posts. I’ve got a few posts hanging out in the draft section of my dashboard, just waiting for me to put the finishing touches on them. But, I had to put this post ahead of the rest, because … IT’S TEA TIME!

I don’t know if the great minds at Knoshy actually read my blog. I hope they do. But, I’ve been mentioning in several box announcement posts about my desire for a tea time box. They’ve finally given me my heart’s desire! The theme for this month’s box is Tea Time!

So, the first thing that needs to be in a Tea Time box is tea, right? And what better company to select a tea from for this box than Steven Smith Teamaker? There’s a full box of Lord Bergamot (one of my very favorite Earl Grey teas – in the top three – of all time!) and even though they’re sachets – tea tastes better when it’s loose leaf! – I won’t ding ’em for going with the sachets. I understand … I get it … not a lot of people know what to do with loose leaf tea.

They also included a package of Amsterdam Wafel cookies from Rip Van Wafels. I’ve had these before, and they’re totally yum. I’m glad they’re in this box. There is also a package of my favorite shortbread cookie baker – Lark Fine Foods! These are Sweet and Savory Olive cookies. Interesting.

Finally, there’s a jar of You’re My Boy BLUE-berry Bourbon Jam from the Jam Stand. This sounds like a seriously yummy jam … it would be spectacular on scones. I might have to make some scones soon to try it out.

Get ready to enjoy some of the best granola on the planet. Made with all natural, organic and gluten-free ingredients, including: quinoa, an ancient grain considered a complete protein; amaranth, high in b vitamins; chia seeds- providing excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and antioxidants; and raw virgin coconut oil containing medium-chain fatty acids that get used as energy rather than stored as fat.

Because I ate this granola as a breakfast cereal with milk, I decided that a breakfast tea was the way to go! Recently, I discovered Glen Arbor Breakfast Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company, and it’s a great breakfast tea. Very woodsy and rustic, a perfect complement to a granola cereal!

What I Think:

This just may be the best granola I’ve ever tasted. I was surprised with the first taste, because while it LOOKS like just about every other granola out there, the flavor is much better.

The cinnamon is well-defined. The oats have been baked to a nice crispy texture. A tasty nutty flavor from the pecans, and just enough plump, juicy flavor from the cranberry to give it contrast.

My one complaint: I would like a little more cranberry in this. That’s something that’s easily remedied by adding a handful of Craisins to the bowl, and even though I’d argue that the right amount of cranberries should be in the granola already, the flavor of the granola makes it worth it to me to open my package of dried cranberries and add a few to the bowl.

My Final Thoughts:

I really liked this. It was a delicious granola, and I’m going to be picking up more from Chuck’s Produce, as I’ve noticed this on the shelves the last time I was there. I’m definitely going to be wanting more!

No tea suggestion with these nuts, mostly because I didn’t enjoy this particular snack enough to try to find a way to incorporate it into tea time.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I went into this particular tasting certain I wouldn’t like it. Oh sure, I like cashews, brazil nuts and pistachios. Love ’em! But, these are unsalted cashews, brazil nuts and pistachios, and I’m of the opinion that the nuts should be at least lightly salted.

I’m still of that opinion. I think that these would definitely be tastier if they were lightly salted during the roasting process.

This might be the first time that I’m trying these three particular nuts unsalted, and I do appreciate the opportunity to try them without the salt. However, I don’t think I like them enough to want this snack again.

My Final Thoughts:

I “trashed” this snack on graze. I just simply didn’t enjoy the unsalted nuts enough to want to finish the tray of nuts, and I certainly don’t want to receive them again. I don’t HATE them … but, I didn’t really find the snack enjoyable either. They’re just kind of … meh … you know?

As with most salty snacks like this, I went with a glass of refreshing iced tea, and the tea that I had chilling in my fridge when I opened this bag of chips was this Very Big Hill Dew Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas. I liked the sweet-tart contrast that the drink brought to this salty, savory snack.

What I Think:

Having previously tasted another Beanitos product, I was fairly sure I’d enjoy these too. And I did enjoy them.

What I like best about them is the texture of the chip – crisp, but not dense like a typical corn chip.

I also appreciate that they’re not too salty. I can taste the bean. I can taste what seems like a hint of lime to these too … and I found myself wanting a little more of that acidic flavor. I think that maybe just a little bit more lime would really brighten up the flavor a bit.

My Final Thoughts:

A tasty snack. As I said above, I found myself wanting a little bit more of that lime note. It would be really tasty with a guacamole with an extra squeeze of lime, I think.

TCHO PureNotes™ exquisite dark chocolates are the purest expression of the cacao bean itself. As with wine, what you taste is precisely, and only, what’s in the bean. There are no added flavorings, only pure dark chocolate.

About Mokaccino Serious Milk + Blue Bottle Coffee:

Warm, roasted nuttiness and complex dried fruit notes from freshly roasted Blue Bottle coffee blend seamlessly with the dense caramel and cocoa notes in our SeriousMilk chocolate. Named Best Flavored Milk Chocolate in America by the International Chocolate Awards.

In my February Love With Food box, I received two squares of chocolate. The first is a dark chocolate square: Pure Notes Dark Chocolatey 70%. This is an intense dark chocolate. A nice snap. I allowed the chocolate to melt on my tongue a little and I could taste notes of rich, dark fudge, reminiscent of a rich, creamy fudge that you might have drizzled over your ice cream in the really good ice cream parlors. I could also taste roasted notes, like a roasted nutty flavor.

This dark chocolate square reminded me a little bit of a really, really good Fujian black tea – rich, malty and even a little caramel-y. So much complexity within the layers of this chocolate.

Photo from Tcho. Click on the pic to go there.

The second square is a milk chocolate with coffee square: Mokaccino Serious Milk + Blue Bottle Coffee. Now, normally, I frown at coffee flavored things, but, this chocolate bar is quite yummy. I could happily devour one or more of these chocolate squares daily. The coffee notes bring out something extra in the chocolate, and it becomes a very full, rich, decadent flavor for the palate. Sweet, creamy, and indulgent … and reminds me of those mocha drinks I used to love but can no longer drink because I realized that coffee consumption causes me to feel sick a few hours later. Fortunately, I didn’t feel that way after I ate this chocolate square … the only thing I felt a little later is a desire that I had more chocolate!

My Final Thoughts:

These chocolate bars from Tcho were amazing. Then again, when is chocolate not amazing? But these were really, really good. The next time you’re looking for really, really good chocolate, you won’t go wrong with Tcho.

I decided to go with a fresh tasting green tea to drink while I devoured these yummy blueberries, so I chose this Organic Gunpowder Green Tea from Simple Loose Leaf. The tea has a light, brothy texture and a delicious nutty background of flavor, and I liked the way this contrasted with the sweet-tart flavor of the blueberries and the bittersweet dark chocolate.

What I Think:

I was recently told that I “like everything!” by someone visiting my blog and reading a few of my reviews. And I guess, yeah, I’m guilty of that. Most of the foods that I’ve reviewed here, I’ve enjoyed. Occasionally, I’ll try something I don’t like, and I’ll tell it like it is when I come across those foods.

I sometimes wish that I had a more “discerning” palate, but, when I think about it, there’s nothing wrong with finding something that I like in most foods. It means that I get to enjoy more variety in my diet. Variety is the spice of life, baby!

And I do like these blueberries from Emily’s chocolates. First of all, I love that this is a local company. (Well, kind of local. We’re in the same state, anyway!) The dried blueberries are big and plump, and the dark chocolate shell is soft and decadent.

My Final Thoughts:

I devoured the bag in no time, and I found myself wishing that I had more. Because this IS a local company, I know that I’ll be able to find these products in some local shops, so next time I see them on the shelf, I’m going to be putting some in my cart! Yum!

There is no better way to start the new year with a healthy snacking plan! Our favorite kale snack is hands-down these organic kale chips from Brad’s Raw Foods. The ‘vampire killer’ is crispy, nutty and has a great garlic flavor. Organic, kosher, and vegan.

When I eat chips, I usually like a glass of iced tea to go with it … and kale chips are no exception. The iced tea I had chilling in my ice box when I snacked on these kale chips was this Cherry Limeade Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas.

What I Think:

I really like kale chips. I’ve had a few different kinds in the past, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve tried. My family has been less receptive to the idea of kale chips. Which is both a blessing and a curse: when I do happen to buy (or receive as part of one of my monthly subscriptions) a package of Kale Chips, I get to enjoy them for myself and not have to worry about them disappearing before I have a chance to taste them. That’s a blessing. But on the curse side, because I’m the only one who likes them … I don’t buy them often because I don’t like buying things just for me.

I like the flavor of these Kale Chips … I love the garlic-y taste! The cheesy flavor is there too, but it is less apparent … or perhaps I should say that it doesn’t stand out quite the same way as it does in some of the “cheesy” flavored kale chips that I’ve tried in the past.

But the garlic-y notes are delicious. Not too sharp on the garlic, just enough to let you know that what you’re tasting is garlic … it’s an easily identifiable flavor but it doesn’t go overboard and make your mouth feel like its in desperate need of a thorough brushing, flossing and a handful of breath mints before anyone’s gonna kiss you.

On the downside, I didn’t like that most of the kale pieces were small “crumb-ish” size. It was a bit more like eating a handful of peanuts than it was like eating chips, you know? I also didn’t like that I came across a couple of large stems in my package.

My Final Thoughts:

I loved the flavor of these, I just wish that there was a bit more attention paid to the details of the chips. Less large stems in the package and more large, leafy crisps. I have seen this product in Chuck’s Produce, and have been tempted to purchase because I did enjoy the flavor … but I’ve found myself looking for another brand that carries a similar garlic-y flavored kale chip because I didn’t like having a package that was mostly crumbs.